A MAN dubbed the walking miracle for the endless fundraising ventures he embarks on while suffering a debilitating condition, is to visit Durham.

David Paterson, 47, has suffered from arthritis since he was a child, which left him crippled until pioneering surgery in 1986 gave him back his mobility.

Since then he has been raising money for charity and so far has raised £605,000 and spent 156,000 hours as a volunteer.

On Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 he will be outside Sainsbury's collecting for the Arthritis Research Campaign (Arc).

So far Mr Paterson, from Bedford, has collected outside Sainsbury's, Savacentre and Homebase stores in more than 540 towns in the UK.

Arc regional appeals manager for the North-East, Hazel McGill said: "David is a real wonder at raising money for us, but we're always on the look out for new volunteers to help out with a variety of fundraising activities."

Anyone who has a few hours to spare and who would like to get involved with the charity is asked to telephone Ms McGill on (01669) 621183.